By Oct. 24, people will have to show proof of full vaccination to enter any non-essential business like a restaurant (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

PROOF OF VACCINATION

Businesses preparing for resistance with provincially-mandated vaccine card

Aug 26, 2021 | 1:06 PM

KAMLOOPS — With proof of vaccination required in three weeks, businesses are starting to prepare for what it will look like.

While some have refused to check vaccine cards, others will follow the health orders. However, enforcement might be a challenging task.

“We know that there are going to be people who are going to resist this. We know there are people who will not want to follow this government order,” said Artistic Director at Western Canada Theatre James MacDonald.

The order, requiring proof of at least one COVID-19 dose by Sept. 13 and fully vaccination by Oct. 24, applies to non-essential activities like restaurants, gyms, sporting events and the theatre among other things.

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Some establishments plan to hire additional staff to help with verification. In the case of Western Canada Theatre, which opens its season in November, it doesn’t want to put that on volunteers.

“The last thing we want is for our extremely hardworking, fantastic volunteer usher core to be responsible for any sort of enforcement or conflict at the doors,” said MacDonald. “I trust this is going to be a good — hopefully a way to bring us together regardless.”

The province has given powers to bylaw — in the case of Kamloops, Community Service Officers — to help businesses enforcement the new law. However, the city says it will be taking a more hands-off, educational approach.

“Largely, these are going to be fall to the operators of these facilities, whether it restaurants or bars or sporting venues, to look after,” said Kamloops mayor Ken Christian. “But this is not about being punitive towards those that aren’t vaccinated. This is about encouraging people to get vaccinated.”

According to the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce, the vaccine cards should take some pressure off individual businesses — similar to when the province first mandated masks.

“Some businesses were making their own decisions to enforce a mask mandate, but it wasn’t the law, and it created a decision point or discretion in the businesses and that seemed to create a little more tension with the public,” noted Board President with the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce Dan Carroll. “They would say, ‘Well this business across the street doesn’t do that. Why are you doing that?’ And there would be confrontation.”

Carroll says with the vaccine card being law, it’s more black and white and should lead to less confrontation.

“You’re going to have people that feel strongly against it and they may cause a stink, but all businesses are the same. The level playing field and the certainty of it as well as it being — ‘it’s the law’ — does provide a shield for frontline workers.”

Carroll says it’s not the businesses and employees making the rules. He’s encouraging customers to be respectful regardless of their views.